Pointe & Possession

19. Chapter 19

Rory

A knock on the door woke me the next morning. Cal was still in bed with me, his arms wrapped snugly around my torso, keeping my back plastered to his front. I wiggled and my ass brushed across his morning erection and he growled into my hair.

“Stop moving. Too early.”

Not a morning person, then. The knock sounded again and Cal threw a pillow in the direction of the door. It fell short, bouncing off the foot of the bed and sending me into a fit of giggles. He rubbed his nose in my hair.

“You smell like me,” he said in a gravelly voice.

I blushed but wiggled back into him more. “That’s because you fucked me full of your cum and then washed me in your body wash, you caveman.”

He growled and pressed his hips into mine. “You’re not allowed to use anything else ever again.”

The knock sounded again followed by Ebony’s voice. “Mr. Byrne? Rory? Mr. Marino is here with several men. He says you have a clause to fulfill?” There was a hesitant question in her voice and Cal growled while I groaned, hiding my face in the pillow.

“You don’t have to come down for this, you know?” Cal said gently while he stroked my hair. I considered it for a moment. I could hide up here, stay in his warm bed that smelled like sandalwood and leather and sex and Cal. I could never see Elio again.

Or I could see the shock on his face when he saw the sheet. I could gloat in making him look a fool while I stood proud, next to my husband and the men that had sworn to follow me, even if Cal were to die.

I chose the second option.

“No. I want to be there. I want to see the look on his face. I want to stand by your side and rub it in Fern’s face that you chose me.” I turned over in his arms, his face only an inch from mine. I worried for half a moment about morning breath and then decided I didn’t care. I kissed him softly. “Thank you for choosing me.”

“Mo solas,” he said softly, rubbing his nose against mine, “once I saw you at Thai Moon, there was no more choice for me. One look and that was it.”

I kissed him again before I pushed myself up, throwing the blankets to the foot of the bed. Cal stood as well, stretching his long, muscular body. I watched as his body moved and wiped at the corner of my mouth to be sure I wasn’t drooling.

“I’m going to go to my room and get ready. I’ll be back in ten.”

“We’re moving you in here today,” he said as he stalked closer. He grabbed two handfuls of my ass and pulled me to him. “I want your things here, with mine. You’re my wife,” he growled lowly, sending goosebumps over my skin.

I giggled into his mouth. “You’re going to say that every chance you get aren’t you, husband?”

“Say it again.”

I pressed up on my toes so that my mouth could brush his ear. “You’re going to say that every chance you get?” I teased. He growled, pressing his mouth against mine as if tasting my next word. “Husband,” I drawled slowly.

“Mine,” he mumbled as he crushed his mouth to mine.

Ebony knocked again. “I’m sorry Mr. Byrne, but your guests are getting antsy.”

“Tell them we’ll be with them in twenty minutes,” I called through the door.

“Yes ma’am,” she called before her footsteps retreated.

“Shower with me.” It wasn’t a question and I happily followed Cal into the bathroom. While he got the shower running, I used the restroom and then joined him under the warm water. He pulled me to his chest, leaning over my shoulder to press hot, open mouthed kisses to my shoulder and neck. I moved my head to make room for him and moaned while I rubbed against his erection.

His hand slid down my torso and between my legs, toying with me until I was panting. Then he grabbed me by the hips, pushed my top half down until my hands were planted on the wall in front of me, and thrust into me from behind. I grunted as the full length of him filled me, trying to make my grasping muscles relax around him. My nails dug into the grout between the tiles.

“Gonna be fast,” he groaned. His grip on my hips tightened and he pulled out, using his hold to pull me into his thrust. I cried out with each one, feeling him hit something deep inside me that threatened to make me see stars in record time.

The sounds of our lovemaking echoed around the bathroom and I fucking loved it. His hand slid up my back until he gripped my shoulder, his hold giving him more leverage to pull me back into the bruising thrusts.

“Oh my god, Cal, I‘m gonna come!” I sobbed as my orgasm neared.

Cal bent over my back, wrapping his arms around my torso as he bent in half over me, his big palms covering my tits completely. “You call me husband when I’m inside you.” He punctuated the demand with a brutal thrust and I cried out, coming apart under him. “Who am I?” His breaths panted in my ear as I quivered under him. I tried to answer but only managed a sobbing moan as pleasure assaulted me. His hand slipped between my legs and attacked my oversensitive clit. I screamed again and my knees gave out completely. Only his hold around my torso kept me off the floor. “Who am I?” he asked again.

“My husband,” I sobbed through the waves of my orgasm, prolonged by his brutal attention on my clit, my body shaking and my teeth gritted as I cried out over and over again.

“Fuck, Rory, goddamn, gonna make me feckin’ come,” he grunted in my ear, his words punctuated by fast, hard thrusts and his usually barely-there accent thick in the throws of passion. I cried out with each one until his groans in my ear grew shorter and closer together, his breaths stuttering in time with his faltering rhythm before he bit into my shoulder and groaned long and low.

My orgasm didn’t seem to stop until his did and I sobbed in relief when it was over, sagging into his arms and going limp. He cradled me against his chest until my legs would hold my weight and then sprayed us both down with the warm water. I wetted my hair and stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself, kissing him sweetly before making my way out of the bathroom.

I went to my room and got ready, brushing my teeth, applying light makeup, pulling my wet hair into a braid. I pulled it over my shoulder and let a few tendrils escape around my face. I dressed in an old pair of jeans with holes in the knees, a t-shirt that had an image of my favorite book and the saying ‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same’ scrawled across the front. I pulled on my black Converse and met Cal in the hall.

He took my hand. “You look beautiful,” he said as he pulled me into his ‘side, the sheet bunched in his other hand. His eyes scanned the cursive on my shirt and he smirked. “Nice shirt,” he said with an undertone I couldn’t place. “Are you ready?” His brow furrowed as he sobered and looked into my eyes.

I smiled, though my hand shook a little in his. “Yeah, I’m ready. Can you make sure that Connor and Carson stay close by?”

“Of course, mo solas.” He squeezed my hand and led me down the hall. We stopped at the top of the stairs and waited for Connor, Carson and Finn to join us. “Stay close to Rory. She’s on edge this morning,” Cal said. I was grateful that he didn’t tell them I was scared. The men nodded and Connor and Carson took position behind me before we walked down the stairs.

When we reached the sitting room, I stopped dead in my tracks, pulling on Cal’s hand and wrapping my other hand around his forearm, the nails digging in. My breathing hitched and a nervous sweat broke out across the back of my neck. Connor picked up on my nerves and shifted a small step closer. I squeezed Cal’s hand and he looked at me. I flicked my eyes to the man standing behind Elio.

Carlo.

The man that had taken great pleasure in each and every lashing Elio had ordered he give me. Standing before him now, seeing the cruel hatred in his eyes, I could feel the skin of my back burning with phantom pains.

Cal leaned into my side, kissing my temple and placing his hand on the back of my head as he discreetly whispered, “What is it, mo solas?”

I turned into his body, trying to appear as just a newlywed lost in her husband. “The man behind Elio,” I whispered as my eyes met Connor’s behind us. “He used to whip me with his belt when I displeased Elio.”

Cal growled and Connor’s face reddened. Cal’s fingers massaged my scalp and tightened around my own, offering me safety in his arms.

He stroked his hand down my back but the remembered feeling of Carlo’s belt against the skin made it over-sensitive. I shivered as goosebumps pricked my skin. “I’m scared, Cal,” I said in barely a whisper. He rubbed his cheek against mine until a shuddering breath left me.

“Don’t take your hands off me?” I questioned, looking up into his face. He seemed confused at first, his eyes squinted and a slight frown furrowing his brow. But the moment he remembered his words to me last night, his face cleared and a small smile curled the edge of his lips. He cupped my face and bumped his nose against mine before he pressed a small kiss to the tip. He nodded and I nodded back, turning to face the men in our house, many of whom I didn’t recognize.

I was surprised to see Fern among them, sitting on the couch in a small black dress. She paired this one with a huge red necklace and earrings that made it appear as if she had no neck. She had bright pink lipstick on that reminded me of something Barbie would wear. Her dark green tights clashed with the lipstick and her brown boots made the whole look laughable. She sat on the couch with her ankles crossed and her hands folded in her lap, trying to appear prim and proper. The outrageous ring Cal had given her glinted in the light as she subtly moved her hand in a petty show of contempt.

Her gaze raked over my outfit and she sneered, clearly finding me lacking against her superior style. Cal saw her reaction and ran his hand down my side to the small bit of skin exposed below my t-shirt, his touch making my skin tingle. I laid my left hand on his bicep and leaned into him, showing off my own ring and the fact that he was openly affectionate at the same time. He pressed a kiss to my hair and Fern’s teeth clenched.

Elio cleared his throat. “Let’s get on with this, then,” he said with confident malice in his voice. Fern wore a smirk that matched Elio’s, both aimed at me, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

A man I didn’t recognize stepped forward and held his hand out to Cal. “Cal, it’s good to see you,” the man said in a thick New York accent.

“Nate, thank you for coming,” Cal said politely before pressing his hand into my back. I took a step forward so that I was beside him rather than hidden half-behind him. “This is my wife, Rory.”

The man held his hand out to me and I tentatively shook it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said sweetly, smiling at him.

“I’m sure the pleasure is mine, Rory. My name’s Nate. I’m not around much, but I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will,” Fern said cattily. “You wouldn’t be the first to see more of Aurora.”

A couple of the men standing around the room shifted uncomfortably and Nate smirked at me, sending a wink my way before he turned around to face her. “Unfortunately for me, Cal’s a good friend…and much more my type than Rory is.” The look on Fern’s face was priceless.

Another man stepped forward, speaking in a Russian accent so heavy, his words were hard to decipher. “Cal, my friend, is it really necessary to embarrass your little wife in this way? If there is no proof to present, there is no need to call this meeting and shame her in this way. It is cruel.”

Elio smirked cockily and Cal stared blankly at the Russian man until he looked at me. “My apologies, Mrs. Byrne. I meant no disrespect.”

I wrapped an arm around Cal’s waist and leaned into his side. “Didn’t you?” I asked in a demure, saccharine voice, causing many of the men in the room to raise an eyebrow or look at me in surprise. “This whole tradition is an embarrassment to the women of our world. Elio brought this clause into the contract with the sole purpose of trying to humiliate me. The disrespect is blatant, sir, but I thank you for the apology all the same.”

Cal smiled proudly down at me and the Russian man blinked at me a few times before smiling widely. “My friend, you will have your hands full with this one,” he chuckled. He smiled at me and dipped his head in respect before stepping back. Two men stepped forward to flank him and I immediately pegged them as bodyguards.

I looked up at Cal and gave him a slight nod. He released me from his hold and let the sheet unravel, holding it up to reveal the stains from last night’s activities. The shock on Elio’s and Fern’s faces was comical. Elio sputtered for something to say before looking at the men around the room with wide eyes, his hands held out in a helpless gesture.

Cal dropped the sheet and kicked it to the side. Ebony quickly gathered the offending material and left the room with it. His arm wrapped back around my waist and he kissed my hair. “I’m sorry for that, mo solas. I hate that we had to put you through that.” I turned my face up and smiled at him, leaning my head into his bicep and kissing the muscle. I rested my head against him and looked at our guests, most of whom were looking at Elio with various shades of irritation coloring their faces. Cal stroked a hand down my side. “Perhaps, Elio, instead of worrying about what mo bhean chéile and I are doing, you should be worrying about what your daughter is doing with-”

He stopped and frowned at Carlo. “I’m sorry, what is your name again? Carter? Carl? No, it’s Carlo, right? Yes, perhaps you should be looking into what Carlo is doing with your daughter when your back is turned.”

The color drained from Carlo’s face and Fern froze, wearing a look of horror and her eyes wide. Elio jerked his head in Carlo’s direction. He quickly shook his head back and forth. “Sir, no! It’s not- no! I promise, sir!”

Elio looked to Fern, who was pale and shaking like a leaf. “Papà, I would never!”

“Is that why you look like you’ve seen a fantasma and Carlo is ready to shit his pants?” She blanched further and he growled out, “I will deal with you later. Go to the car and wait for me.”

“But-”

“Now, Fernanda!”

She stood but looked at Carlo - a stupid move. The man was staunchly ignoring her. She left the room with Marco following behind, sneering at me as she walked by. “I will make you pay for this, you bitch. Just wait. I will make you suffer.”

I smiled sweetly at her. “Don’t worry Fern. The lashings only hurt for the first twenty stripes. After that, you kind of go numb to it.” I shrugged nonchalantly.

As they passed us, Marco’s eyes flicked to Cal’s and I saw the communication there. I didn’t react, just casually leaned more of my weight into his side and dug my fingers into the muscles on the back of his ribs. He squeezed my hip, acknowledging my question, but was otherwise unreadable.

The Russian man stepped forward again. “Elio, we have all come here because you said this marriage was a violation of the contract Cal and Rory signed. You swore you had testimony to back up your claim, but Cal has provided irrefutable proof to the contrary. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you here and now for taking me away from my affairs to deal with this shit.”

His accent was thick and heavy, distorting his words, but his anger was palpable. Elio seemed to grasp for an answer, looking between the other men and Cal for assistance. Nobody spoke up, so I did.

“I will tell you why.” The men looked to me, some of them with blatant disdain that a woman would dare speak during a men’s meeting and others with respect. The Russian was among the latter group - Elio the former. “Because it is the morning after my wedding and I had to leave my warm bed, my husband’s arms, to provide this humiliating proof, and I will not be disrespected by bloodshed in my house when I’ve only just learned my way around it.” I arched an eyebrow and smiled my most child-like and sweetest smile as I brushed the carpet with the toe of my shoe. “Besides, I really like this carpet.”

Cal’s chest rumbled with laughter, despite the fact that several of the men took a step towards us.

One of the men spoke. “You allow your new bride to speak to men in this manner, Byrne? You allow your děvka to give orders to us? Perhaps we should rethink fearing you so.” His accent was clearly European but I couldn’t place it.

Connor and Carson stepped forward, pulling their jackets back to expose the guns strapped to their waists. Cal took a step in front of me, pushing me back to my initial spot, half-hidden behind him. Connor pulled me back a step and Carson placed himself next to me.

“You would be surprised how strong a woman’s mind can be when it’s not beaten into submission, Hajek.” Ah, the Czechs. I recognized the name. “Perhaps, if you Czechs spent less time selling women and more time listening to them, you wouldn’t be surprised that my wife dares to speak up in her own home.”

I felt a burst of smug pride and boldly met Hajek’s gaze. His nostrils flared so I took it a inch further and smiled at him. He took a step forward and Cal tensed just as Connor and Carson stepped in front of me. Shockingly, Nate and the Russian stepped forward as well. I pushed past Connor, who stayed plastered to my side, and pressed up against Cal, stroking a hand down his arm. “I think, perhaps, you’ve outstayed your welcome, Mr. Hajek. We thank you for attending our presentation.” He glared at me and made no move to leave, so I said, “I know it’s a large, confusing house, but the door is just through there.” I pointed.

Many of the men in the room laughed. Hajek turned and stomped out of the room after a weighted standoff. I smiled sweetly at the remaining men who were still laughing at Hajek and turned to Elio. “Actually, I think you’ve outstayed yours as well, Elio. It was lovely to see you again.” I used his first name, fully intending it to be the disrespect it clearly was, after calling everyone else mister and sir.